Conveying means for drying ovens



July 9,' 1929. G. M. ARGABRITE CONVEYING MEANS FOR DRYING OVENS Filed Aug. 5, 1926 vZiyi.

Patented Julyv 9, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORG] I. ABGAIBBITE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR Ol' ONE-HALF T0 DBYING SYSTEMS, INC., F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONVEYING MEANS FOR DRYING OVENS.

Application meaaugust 5, 192e. sami No. 127,345.

This invention relates to improvements in conveyors for oven driers for shoes and the like, wherein the articles are placed'on racks which are then transported through the drying ovens.

In the shoe industry, the shoes are commonly dried between the leveling operation and the heeling operation; and these operations are usually performed in alinement along one side of the room. With the old types of conveying driers, the racks of shoes were insei-ted at one end of the ovens by the levelers,

:then carried through the ovens by chainconveyers and discharged from the opposite end of the ovens. The heelers would then have to walk to the rear end of the driersto get the racks, or a helper would have to be employed to return the racks. In exceptionally long driers, apron conveyers have been used 2o for returning the racks. Also, the old type of tunnel driers of the large type, were open at both ends, and considerable draft in the room, such as created by opening doors and windows, would draw the heat out of the oven.

The present invention is chiefly characterized by providing improved conveying means in an oven in which the racks are' discharged at the same end and adjacently to the place where the racks are inserted. Other objects are to provide an oven in which the temperatures and humidities may be controlled as required for the different locations; to pro- Vide a drier which is not affected by drafts in the room; to provide a drier which may be installed on the surface of the factory floor Without requiring any changes in the floor, such as the position of pits and the like; and to provide a drier which is more compact, economical and efficient in operation.

In the drawings are shown somewhat different arrangements of illustrative embodiments of this invention, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a drier in which the openings are directly in the front end.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 7 -7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 1, showing a side elevation of one of the shoe racks.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a rack.

Referring to the drawings, the oven 1 comprises a rectangular heat insulated structure which is closed at therear end, and is provided with a centralI longitudinal partition 2. The partition 2 extends from the front end nearly to the rear wall 3 of the oven, leaving a transverse opening 4. Thus the partition divides the oven into two parallel channels 5 and 6, with the opening 4 between them at the rear end.

In Figure 1, the tunnels 5 and 6 open directly at the end. In this form ofoven, a. chain conveyer is sh'own comprising,'in they tunnels 5 and 6, a pair of endless chain belts 28 which are Isupported in the vertically spaced channels 29 mounted on the floor by means of suitable brackets 30. The belts operate over sprockets on the ended shafts 31 and 32, the shafts 32 being geared together and driven through chain connections 33 from the speed reduction gearing 34 which is connected to a suitable motor 35. The upper extensions of the chains are raised suiciently to lift the casters 20 of theshoe frames, clear of the floor when the rack is riding on the chains as shown 'in Fig. 2. Pairs of inclined angle bars 36 are provided at the front ends of the chains for guiding the racks on and off the conveyer belts.

The conveyer in the tunnel 5 moves the shoe racks from the front to the back end of the tunnel, and the conveyer in the tunnel 6 moves the rack back to the front end, the racks being carried from the inner end of one conveyer to the other by means of the circularly guided chain belts 37 which receive the racks from the end of the one conveyer, and turn the racks half way around and deposit them on the other conveyer. The chains 37 may be gulded in any suitable manner, and are driven from the shaft 38 of the gear reduction element 34.

Air is forced into the oven through nozzles at one side and drawn out through the ducts at the other side, at Various locations in the tunnels, asis well understood in the art. The ovens are well protected from drafts so that the air `along the course of the racks may be controlled so that at the entering end the temperature may be low and the humidity 4 high. At the end of the first tunnel the temperature is preferably increased, with a de- 100 crease in the humidity; and, progressively toward the exit, the temperatures are preferably increased further, and the humidities decreased.

It is also apparent that considerable space 105 is saved, since the length of the oven as a whole is halved for the same effective length of travel. The ovens accomplish the objects set forth above, of receiving'and discharging adjacent the front end so that unnecessary l1' transportation is avoided in a very simple manner.

I claim:

l. In an apparatus of the class described, a conveyor system for drying racks, comprising a plurality of conveyors in the same horizontal plane, including a forwarding conveyor, a return conveyor parallel therewith, and a transverse conveyor for transferring drying racks from the end of the forwarding conveyor to the return conveyor, means for driving said conveyors, and each of said conveyors comprising a pair of spaced rack supporting elements.

2. In an apparatus of the class described a conveyor system for drying racks compris` ing a plurality of conveyors 1n the saine horizontal plane including a forwarding conveyor, a return conveyor parallel therewith, each of said'conveyors comprising a pair of spaced rack supporting elements, a cireularly guided conveyor for transferring racks from the forwarding conveyor to the return conveyor, said circularly guided conveyor b'eing for a portion of its length parallel to and in the same plane with the forwarding and return conveyors whereby racks may be kept in continuous motion from the forwarding conveyor to the return conveyor, and means for driving all of said conveyors.

Signed at Chicago this 2nd day of July, 1926. y

'GEORGE M. ARGABRITE. 

